Learn About The Little-Known Utah Hero From Our State's Early Days - The Incredible Horse, Old Sorrel
By Catherine Armstrong|Published June 05, 2020
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
Times were tough for Utah’s early settlers in Southern Utah. They dealt with floods, drought, illness, and isolation. Even though life was tough, so were they, and though some of those early little towns were eventually abandoned, others thrived and grew. Cedar City was founded in 1851, and its people managed to make it thrive.
In 1897, they decided to build a teacher training school, but they had to get it built quickly. Against insurmountable odds, Cedar City got the school’s first building completed, but much of the credit went to one old horse. Check out the story of Old Sorrel.
Today, Southern Utah University is a thriving school with a student body of more than 11,000. It has more than 140 undergraduate programs, and 19 graduate degrees. But this school almost didn't happen.
In 1897, residents of Cedar City realized that they needed to build a school to train teachers in the southern part of the state, which was quickly becoming settled by Utah pioneers. A temporary school was set up in September, but just two months later, the Utah Attorney General informed them that they had less than a year to get the permanent building up.
There was no time to lose, so on January 5th, a group of men set out on a 35-mile journey to a sawmill to cut logs for construction.
The weather was brutal, and on their way back, the party faced temperatures of 40 degrees below zero. Icy winds raged, and snow drifts up to 15 feet high blocked the path. There was no choice but to keep moving to get the lumber back home.
As the vanguard, Old Sorrel was determined and relentless. In the midst of a swirling snow, he pushed through each snowbank, straining and throwing his weight into each one until it gave way and the wagon and others behind him could get through.
After he plowed through each huge snowdrift, he'd sit back on his haunches for a quick rest, then get up to tackle the next one. One snowbank at a time, the party made it back to town.
The men credited Old Sorrel for saving the expedition, and the future of the school. The first building, Old Main, was dedicated in September, 1890.
When you visit the campus of Southern Utah University, you'll find a monument dedicated to Old Sorrel and the men whose bravery made the school a reality.
In 2015, a film was made about Old Sorrel and the people of Cedar City who built the school. "Back Up The Mountain" took home a "Winnie" award from the Equus Film Festival in New York City.
Were you aware of this incredible equine hero of Utah’s history?
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